The present disclosure relates generally to equipment utilized and operations performed in conjunction with a subterranean well and, in an embodiment described herein, more particularly provides for swellable material activation and monitoring in a subterranean well.
While it has been known for many years that swellable materials are useful in subterranean wells, “intelligent” swellables have not progressed much beyond equipping swellable packers with certain sensors to detect, for example, pressure in and about the swellable material. However, the ability of a swellable material to conform to the shape of the wellbore surface which it contacts opens up a variety of possibilities for mapping the wellbore surface to, for example, determine the wellbore geometry, detect changes in stresses about the wellbore, evaluate packer differential pressure sealing capability, etc.
Furthermore, improvements are needed in detection of packer setting, evaluation of material swelling, utilization of swellable materials in well operations, etc. For these reasons and others, the present disclosure provides advancements in the art of swellable material activation and monitoring in a subterranean well, which advancements may be utilized in a variety of different applications.